Friday, 19 July 2013

Sepia Saturday 186: Jack and Gill, a Christmas Pantomime?

Although by far the majority of carte de visite and cabinet photographs were run-of-the-mill studio portraits of people in their Sunday best, browsing of old photo collections shows that even from the early 1860s many visited the studio wearing costumes. Some of these are clear representations of a particular character popular on the stage or in folklore, perhaps imitating the copyrighted photographs of actors published in significant numbers which have become sought after collectibles, while others are not quite so obvious.

I have previously written about such portraits from the mid-1880s by Derbyshire photographers Schmidt and Brennen, possibly depicting characters from a Gilbert and Sullivan musical (Dame Hannah and Ruddigore). Later examples from my collection include group photos with costumes from G+S's The Mikado and Tennyson's poem-play Dream of Fair Women.

This week we have a South African couple, he at least dressed in costume, and an inscription on the reverse informs us that the subjects, identified as Captain Marshall and Miss Pepworth, are masquerading as "Jack & Gill." Whether this was for a stage performance - perhaps even a Christmas pantomine - or to attend a fancy dress party, will probably never be revealed. The portrait was almost certainly taken outdoors, although the latticework window, rocks, branches and plants appear to have been at least partly arranged by the photographer. The nature of the "second edge" close to the lower edge of the print suggests to me that it is a copy of a slightly earlier print mounted on card.

Although the portrait is undated, Bensusan's comprehensive list of South African photographers shows that Henry Kisch operated photographic studios in Maritzburg (now Pietermaritzburg) between 1877 and 1885, after which he moved to Durban. The arrangement on the reverse of the card mount, with a diagonal signature, large ornate initial letters and ivy/scroll work, is typical of the "large letter" designs by Marion Imp of Paris that Roger Vaughan describes as being commonly used in the late 1870s and early 1880s.

A search on the net quickly led me to David Marshall's family history web pages, which include biographical details of his great-grandparents George Marshall (1850-1921) and Sarah Eleanor Pepworth (1859-1890). After an education at Rugby school, George went into the family business as a timber merchant. From 1873 he served with the Middlesex Yeomanry Cavalry, and in 1878 went with them out to South Africa where they fought in the Anglo-Zulu War in that and the following year.

After the conclusion of the war he settled in Natal and on 4 July 1883 married Sarah Eleanor Pepworth, daughter of a prominent local resident and former mayor, Henry Pepworth, J.P. George started a timber business in Natal, while he and Sarah lived on a farm in the Dargle Valley, in the foothills of the Drakensberg mountains. Sarah died in August 1890, a few weeks after giving birth to their second child, and two years later George Marshall returned to England with the two young children, ending their association with South Africa.

I think you're forgetting that Gill is an alternative spelling for Jill, as in Gillian. Certainly they are the nursery rhyme characters - I thought that so obvious that I didn't think it needed reiterating, sorry.

Ooh Brett I always learn so much from your blog posts. Now, the big ignoramus in me must ask - what is Ancestry24 - is that like an add on to the usual Ancestry subscription? Secondly did David Marshall know about the Jack and Gill photo??

I have to presume that she died as a result of complications after child birth, but that may not have been the case. I found views of the cemetery where she's buried on Google Maps, but it's rather a neglected cemetery so I didn't include a shot of that.

It's amazing how a pair of quotation marks can transform a story! Your best research often comes from teasing out the thread in those little details.

You may have found this already, but I looked up the "Jack & Gill" title in musicals101.com, and found a show by that name in 1866. But I like the idea of a young officer and his sweetheart dressing up for a costume ball. I like the Captain's gaiters too. A nice authentic touch.

Thank you Mike. That is an interesting snippet that I hadn't found, and may well have been the inspiration for the outfits. Yes, I noticed the gaiters - they are very similar to pictured in my "Gamekeepers" article.

I cannot help thinking that the umpire 'Hart-Davis' will be an ancestor of one of my favourite TV doucumentary presenters on interesting topics, but who I have no seen of late.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Hart-Davis

I suppose deaths in childbirth, either of the mother or child, were far more common in the nineteenth century than they are now, but it still must have been a terrible shock to all. Thanks for taking the time to comment, Nancy.

That's it?!? How unlikely form you. What happened next? Did he remarry? What did the children become? Any descendants still living? I bet you're keeping the next chapter for some other time... Teaser!!! ;)~ HUGZ